The Musician - VIP Musicians. Report by Katie Nicholls (MU, 2012)

From Ray Charles to Andrea Bocelli, blind or partially-sighted artists can succeed. But are the UK’s stages welcoming to the visually impaired? Musicians Union 2012 - Fourteen blind and visually impaired musicians under the moniker Inner Visions Orchestra recently toured London to great success. Led by blind sitar player Baluji Shrivastav, the musicians dovetailed influences from India, Iran, Afghanistan and Nigeria to perform a set of soulful, uplifting compositions. At the end of each night a questionnaire was sent around the audience asking how many blind or visually impaired British performers they could name…